Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Dinner was fairly tense. Though Maya was excited to see Aiden after a week apart, she knew something was bothering him.
She wondered if it had something to do with the recent case he’d been working.
The lines around the edges of his eyes and mouth were tight, and his shoulders slumped slightly forward as if the weight of the world rested on them.
Sympathy seized her as she stared across the table at him.
She could only imagine how he felt. She had experienced it firsthand when she was kidnapped, but Aiden did this day after day, dealing with disappointing blows more often than not.
She knew the feeling of not helping the victims weighed heavily on him.
Maya wished there was something she could say, something she could do to make it better. But she, of all people, knew how hard it was to accept those words of encouragement. All she could do was stand beside him and silently support him as he sorted through his emotions.
All she wanted to do was go home and show him without words how much he meant to her.
“Are you ready?”
Aiden offered her a wan smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Sure.”
The bill had already been paid, so she grabbed her purse from the chair beside her, slung it over her shoulder, and stood. Even distracted, Aiden was always attentive to her. He settled one hand on the small of her back and guided her through the maze of tables to the front door.
A small crowd of people who’d just entered blocked the exit, and she stood off to the side, waiting for them to disperse before leaving. An older, heavyset man stared intently at Maya.
She still didn’t like the way people paid attention to her, and she flashed him a quick smile before averting her eyes, hoping he wouldn’t recognize her.
No such luck.
A moment later, he was right in front of her.
“You’re Maya Danvers, right?”
“I…” Her throat closed up, and she was unable to speak.
He didn’t wait for her response as he shoved his phone in her face.
“I’m Karl Nelson from the Tribune,” he greeted. “How do you feel about the trial? Were you pleased with the outcome?”
Maya stared blankly at him for several seconds.
“I… I guess, yeah.”
“Excuse us.” Aiden’s strong, steady voice came from behind her, and his fingers pressed gently into the flesh of her back.
The reporter stepped even closer.
“You testified that he tried to sexually assault you, but you fended him off. How did you manage that?”
She’d been trying so hard to put all of that behind her. The last thing she wanted to do was rehash those dirty details, especially in front of a dozen other people.
Maya could feel their eyes on her, staring, judging, and her skin flashed hot as her pulse accelerated.
“Don’t say a word,” Aiden spoke low in her ear as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
She could hear the thread of tension in his voice, like he was trying desperately to maintain his composure, as he directed his next statement to the group of people milling around.
“Excuse us, please.”
Maya quickly scanned the crowd for an opening, but she was trapped. Aiden maneuvered her so she was behind him, partially obscuring her from the group gathered near the doors, but they seemed to surround her, stealing all the oxygen in the room.
She felt their gazes on her, curious and penetrating, and she clutched at Aiden’s shirt.
Undaunted, Karl tried to lean around Aiden’s broad form.
“None of the other women managed to escape. How were you so lucky?”
The question struck her like a dagger.
It was the same thing she’d asked herself a thousand times. She had no idea why she’d survived when he could have just as easily raped and killed her as he had the others.
She still remembered the smell of the dank cellar, saw the bloodstains on the mattress…
Felt Wainwright’s hands and mouth crawling over her body.
The floor tipped beneath her feet, and black crept into the edges of her vision.
She had to get out of here.
Now.
Her heart raced in her chest, banging against her rib cage with heavy thuds. Her breath came faster and faster as he continued to interrogate her.
“How did you…?”
The remainder of his question was lost to her as her thoughts spun out of control.
She gasped, trying to drag in breath to no avail. It felt like a vise had clamped down around her lungs. Her knees buckled as her vision went black, and she barely registered the sound of angry, raised voices over the blood rushing in her ears.
Her lungs hyperventilated, and she felt a strong arm wrap around her before sweeping her off her feet.
“You’re okay, sweetheart.” Aiden’s voice barely penetrated her haze of panic, and she grasped onto it like a buoy in a tempest. “Just breathe, Maya. I’ve got you.”
After what felt like forever, her vision began to clear, and she registered a distinct difference in temperature. She blinked against the glaring light and realized she was draped over a bench on the sidewalk, staring up into a bright streetlamp.
She closed her eyes and drew her first full breath in what felt like hours.
“Everything’s okay,” Aiden soothed next to her ear. “I’m right here.”
She reached for him, and he clutched her hand.
“I’m… I’m okay.”
“We should get you checked out.”
She shook her head, then gradually shifted to face him. The bench was hard and unforgiving, and she grimaced as she rolled onto her side.
“Maya, we—”
“I’m okay.” She closed her eyes again for a second before meeting his gaze. “It was just a panic attack. I’ll be fine.”
“That didn’t look fine.”
His words were harsh, but she knew they were born of concern.
“I know. Thank you for getting me out of there,” she said softly.
“That jerk—”
Aiden abruptly cut himself off as he threw an angry glare toward the restaurant and the reporter inside.
“Thank you.”
Aiden redirected his gaze to her, then brushed a kiss over her forehead.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. Scared the hell out of me.”
She released his hand, and he helped her into a sitting position.
“You still look pale,” he observed. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”
“Just home.”
She took his outstretched hand and stood, then followed him to the car.
Aiden drove to her place, then ushered her inside and locked the door.
“Do you need anything? Aspirin, Tylenol…?”
She shook her head.
“I just want to lie down for a bit.”
It was silly, but she felt exhausted, as if the panic attack had drained every ounce of her strength. She changed and brushed her teeth, then climbed into bed.
Aiden followed mere minutes later and pulled her in close. Just having him near calmed her, and she slipped into a deep sleep.